December 27th 2011 1:00 am PT

Xbox 12 Days of Deals: Day 8

Today you can save 50% on Halo:Reach Map Packs and more. Don’t own Halo:Reach yet?
The full version of the game is also on sale and available for direct download from Xbox LIVE.

Here is a breakdown of today’s Halo special offers:

	Normal	Today Only
Halo Reach Noble Map Pack	800	400
Halo Reach Defiant Map Pack	800	400
Halo Reach full game download	Varies by region	Varies by region
Halo Reach Anchor 9 Premium Theme	240	120
Halo: Reach Noble Team Theme	240	120
Halo Energy Sword Prop	240	120
Halo: Reach Kat Spartan 320 Armor Male	400	200
Halo: Reach Kat Spartan 320 Armor Female	400	200

Deal, Halo By Larry Hryb, Xbox LIVE's Major Nelson

permalink: http://majornelson.com/2011/12/27/xbox-12-days-of-deals-day-8/

http://twitter.com/Mumford730 Mumford

Why no Anniversary Map Pack deal?
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Stephan-Tenspel/578534292 Stephan Tenspel
  
  Its to new to put it on sale.
  - http://twitter.com/DarthBrady DarthBrady
    
    No, it’s not too new. That game is EIGHTEEN years old! And its the same game only with widescreen support achievements, and a new rendering filter. I’ve seen more in free fan made mods. I’m not complaining; I love that game. It better go on sale. This has been the most greedy lame sale xbox holidays have seen yet.
    - Anonymous
      
      It’s actually 10 years old, not 18 and the Anniversary map pack is a lot more than just ports of the old maps. They completely remade the visuals and the maps have modern variations that make them more ideal for the newer armour abilities.
      - http://twitter.com/TehChrisReed Chris Reed
        
        Actually they just put a new coat of paint on the old game engine. The new graphics layer runs on top of the original graphics code, slowing everything down when things get busy. Chalk it up to good idea that fails in practice. Probably would have been great with some more polish, but alas the anniversary deadline was looming so this is what we got.
      - Anonymous
        
        You’re referring to the campaign on the Anniversary disc, for which everything you’ve said is correct.
        
        I’m referring solely to the multiplayer/map pack which runs on the Reach engine, not the old Halo: CE engine.
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Steve-Thompson/625300472 Steve Thompson
  
  Yes, that’s the only thing I’m missing. I bought the other packs when they we’re on sale but I was really looking forward to the anniversary pack. I guess I shoulda known better then to get my hopes up considering how these holiday deals have been so far.
  - Anonymous
    
    ????? …correct me if I’m wrong but, isn’t anniversary map pack free ? much like an online pass; buy halo game, get a code for the map pack free. That was my case and it was inside the box, no specific relailer deal…
    - http://twitter.com/TehChrisReed Chris Reed
      
      Yeah, too bad the game is nearly broken in spots with no sign of a patch to fix the issues so the maps are all most people want
    - Anonymous
      
      It is or if you don’t want the campaign, you can buy the map pack separately to play the multiplayer maps in Halo: Reach.
Martin Hoffmann

52,49 EUR in germany. that is no deal!
- Anonymous
  
  during gamescom a large retailer sold it für 20 EUR and now it usually sells around 30. now 52,49 is just ridiculous²
- Anonymous
  
  Same in Ireland! I would have saved money by buying it new on day 1!
  - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=658992468 Jason Oliver
    
    $75 AUD in Australia – I can walk over the shops and pick up Halo Reach for $20, if I didn’t already own it that is – no interest in the DLC – BF3 is the online game of the moment – just give us more arcade deals please!
http://twitter.com/AnneNatsuki Anne Natsuki

Thanks. Needed the E Sword.
http://twitter.com/AnneNatsuki Anne Natsuki

Thanks. Needed the E Sword.
Rapha (Caricax) Braga

£37,49 while we can buy the disk version by £15 at most?
Where’s the deal?

Maybe I know what you, guys from Microsoft think: “oh, gosh, our customers are so spoilt! They complain about everything… let’s keep puting those lame deals, they will buy anyway”. But, c’mon… at least you can pretend you don’t think like this and surprise us, players that, at least, come here to the blog and post our impressions.

I know that millions of players don’t even know this blog exists or don’t even find the deals… they buy according to what they find. But if some people like me are commenting here, there’s an evidence that we are the people that really care. And fill your coffers with our money.

Remember the “Pareto principle”? The 80-20 rule? The law of the vital few?
Who are the most important players? The ones that bought one of the almost 60 million consoles, modified it to run backups recorded in a 0,25p DVD and were banned from Live or the ones that really care about a good gaming, buying original copies and DLCs?

I’m not angry or arguing… just saying and trying to teach something for the interns that are working in this area, as I guess their boss don’t say anything about this.

I’m waiting for the deal with Sonic… let’s see what will show up there. And what will we have on the following Deals of the Week…
- Anonymous
  
  for Microsoft, digital downloads are a way to keep the same price forever high. They’re itching to move the whole game-selling businessmodel to digital, in order to completely control the prices. ill stop buying xbox consoles the day that happens, simple
  - http://twitter.com/TehChrisReed Chris Reed
    
    Well said. The instant Microsoft announces they are moving to a digital-only format, I’m switching to Onlive just like I did with Netflix when everyone switched to DVD/Bluray/DC combo packs.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_7UBRQ7BZBSWOXXMCKQ4QDOVA5Y Alice

Sonic content on special tomorrow….. Just like we had back in JUNE 23, 2011… Hang on this year!!!
Sonic the Hedgehog – 240 MP
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – 240 MP
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 – 240 MP
Sonic & Knuckles – 120 MP
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 – 800MP
Sonic Adventure – 400 MP
Only way it could be slightly OK… is if Sonic CD goes on special with the rest…
Please Larry let your bosses know there losing customers….
- Laszlo Zizics
  
  please nooooo i hate sonic
  - http://twitter.com/Navarin Bennijin Turbo
    
    Your loss.
- http://twitter.com/AntaraelDulacre Antarael Dulacre
  
  Since Sonic 4 Episode 1 dropped to 800 MSP some time ago maybe this time it will go down to 400 MSP…(finally the price this game is worth…)
- http://twitter.com/Navarin Bennijin Turbo
  
  Hopefully more like 200 for the MD games and 100 for S&K like they did before.
  
  Doubt Sonic CD will, too recent. But yeah Ep1 should be 400. Ep2 trailer on the 29th apparently.
Laszlo Zizics

there is lots of arcade games, this action is limited for X users… ahh… terrible sale today…
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Jan-Vaclavik/100000506187042 Jan Václavík
  
  On the plus side we wont read complaints about Anniversary Map Pack being free…
http://weakorbit.blogspot.com/ Weak Orbit

Reach is actually going for €12 in argos at the moment. However i’ll be picking up the two map packs.
Hugoku

Ben there, Dan that.
Good sale for all those new 360 owners I guess.
- http://twitter.com/AntaraelDulacre Antarael Dulacre
  
  That’s a nice game! =D (Ben there, Dan that.)
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KZ7NI75SAJ5SEI2FUXAJR2ABCA A B

why would you put halo stuff on sale? anyone who wants this garbage surely has it by now. keep ruining the holidays, microsoft.
- Anonymous
  
  I’m unhappy with the whole approach this year to this sale as well, but I must say reading that Microsoft had a part in “ruining the holidays” made me laugh.
  - http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KZ7NI75SAJ5SEI2FUXAJR2ABCA A B
    
    They’re laughing with me, Michael!
- Anonymous
  
  Maybe because the 250GB Holiday Bundle included a copy of Halo: Reach so there will be a ton of new players to the game who don’t have the map packs?
  
  Nah, it must just be them wanting to ruin your holiday.
- Anonymous
  
  Maybe because the 250GB Holiday Bundle included a copy of Halo: Reach so there will be a ton of new players to the game who don’t have the map packs?
  
  Nah, it must just be them wanting to ruin your holiday.
  - http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KZ7NI75SAJ5SEI2FUXAJR2ABCA A B
    
    I know. It must be. Thanks for agreeing with me, friend.
Joey Cisneros

No.
skizo frenik

Amazing deal..

Thru Xbox Live, Halo Reach costs €52,49 in Portugal but I can get the same game for €11.45 as a DLC in online stores. Almost 5 times cheaper!
Now, I know that Microsoft don’t want to harm retail sales but this is just ridiculous…
Anonymous

I won’t be taking advantage of this – but this is the way you guys should have been doing deals from launching this promo.

For XBLA titles do a fer per day with variety, eg.: Sports, Adventure, Fantasy and an Indie title.
This way you’ll be hitting a larger demographic and you can change categories as you see fit.
http://twitter.com/TehChrisReed Chris Reed

I was expecting some great deals this year but so far the only decent game was Bastion, which I passed on since I was expecting better. You seriously can’t toss out a bone and make a game like Full House Poker 120 MSP or newer games like Daytona USA 400 MSP? I wasn’t going to voice my opinion on the matter after the New Vegas and Forza 4 add-ons, but this sale is garbage since these map packs have been shoved down our throats for a full year now. These are Christmas sales, not a great way to say “Welcome to Xbox!” to the new customers who got a Xbox for Christmas, and not a great way to service your core gamers since they all already have these add-ons. You are probably insulting more people than helping with these sales. I’d suggest having better sale items next year or just don’t have a sale at all.

inb4 tl:dr
- Anonymous
  
  Yeah, a half price sale on the map packs for the game that came bundled with the 360 console for the holidays is a TERRIBLE way to say Welcome to Xbox… Sure…
  
  Oh & your point about how the “core gamers all already have these add-ons”, I’m a “core” gamer… I’ve had the 360 since launch day & between retail & XBLA I own over 200 games… I don’t have these add-ons and if it weren’t for the fact that I’m saving my points for next week’s XBLA game, I’d probably buy them today while they’re on sale.
  - http://twitter.com/TehChrisReed Chris Reed
    
    Why you didn’t buy these when they where on sale the last 50 times they where DotW, Mr. “Core gamer”?
    
    Sounds like you where the one who got a Halo:Reach Xbox bundle from Grandma for Christmas.
http://twitter.com/Navarin Bennijin Turbo

Halo Reach Games on Demand: £37.49, and that’s AFTER a discount!?
Halo Reach NEW on-disc at Morrisons: £7 in their game sale.
Anonymous

M$ must have actually been paying attention to everyones complaints this time. This isnt too bad but still making it better for the people who are new to xbox live. You say were a “family” but the dedicated xbox live users are kind of still getting the shaft. Still you guys did better today.
http://twitter.com/THEMACGOD THE.MAC.GOD

For the energy sword, I get:It appears you’ve found a glitch in the system.date:12/27/2011 9:51:33 PMcode:C293DFAEB58E9Cs:/B0XVyvMezbfcCkHGy3YCA==id:86c25011-7e08-466d-828f-99e9030b831freq:fbf7be34-42c5-406b-a9a9-42717014e37d
http://openid-provider.appspot.com/Faethor7 Kevin Patterson

I don’t normally complain much regarding sales but this years Deals have been depressing except for the Fallout:New Vegas DLC deals which I was out of town and missed out on Would have liked to pick up the last two DLC. I have spent money on Steam instead. I don’t understand MS’s sales list or the fact they hate discounting so much. Would it hurt MS to follow Steam’s example and have some Major sales? I would love to spend more on XBL than Steam as I play more on it, but MS barely gives me a reason too. I wish MS would do more for gold members than they do as well.

December 27th 2011 1:00 am PT

Xbox 12 Days of Deals: Day 8

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